I know I've mentioned food in a few posts. Like the McRib one, the Oreo one... and even some general posts about how to easily incorporate healthier choices in your everyday diet (IE how to cut out 3500 calories, or how to make better meal choices).
I hope it's pretty clear in these posts that I'm sharing with you that it's all about how I created my own successes in weight loss. Or, that I'm trying to share some awareness about what's in the food you're eating. I am not judging.
And, if you've read this blog much at all, hopefully you already know why I'm not judging.
Because I've been there. On both sides.
I've been the one who competed in a duathalon, ran 2 miles / biked 24 miles / ran 2 miles. And then, the next day, being absolutely starving from the 2+ hours of exercise the day before... ordered a totally justified foot long sandwich for myself at Subway... only to be openly mocked by the old man in front of me. I think his exact quote was "Is that all for you? *Snicker* Good luck with that one, it's a biggie."
I've also been the one who struggled with my weight, felt out of control with my eating habits, and totally gorged on pizza, or Mexican, or a double stack burger with supersized fries, or whatever I was in the mood for that day. Because I was hungry, or sad, or maybe it just sounded good or something.
Anyhow, as much as I've talked about food on this blog, I don't believe I've ever explicitly talked about my true thoughts on eating in general.
So today I want to straight out say it - eating is about making choices on a daily basis. Some will be healthy, some will be ... less healthy. But whatever you pick, just own it and eat it. Stop judging, and more importantly ... STOP CALLING VARIOUS FOODS NAUGHTY!!!
For example: a few months back, I was eating lunch and overheard a conversation between two women about Dairy Queen. One commented on how it was so good, but they never go there. The other one commented on how she went, but it was ok, because she only had a small and then made up for it at the gym. They both proceeded to talk about how it was so naughty, and how they would/did feel so guilty for eating it afterwards, etc, etc, etc. It was so ... "Mean Girls"...
GAHHHHHHHHHAAARRGGGG!!!!!!!! I was *this* close to losing it. I just wanted to scream at these women. Especially when the conversation progressed into what everyone else had on their plate, and how badly the overweight people were eating, etc.
Please, if you're going to eat something, just eat it. And let other people enjoy their meals as well. Don't sit there and dissect what you or someone else already has on a plate. It's there, so it's obviously intended to be eaten. Same goes for what you ate yesterday, or the day before, or last week. Or what you might even eat tomorrow, for that matter.
What good do you gain if you create a guilt trip about food the entire time it's being eaten, or afterward? Just enjoy it.
And don't judge someone else, thus creating guilt for them. For all you know, they earned that huge meal with a marathon run yesterday. Or maybe it's the saddest day of their life, and that gooey pile of whatever is the happiest moment they are having that day... which you promptly ruined with your judging.
What I'm saying is, if you're in the mood for a cheese burger, then just eat it. If you're like me and love any sort of cheesy fried goodness, then enjoy. I say this loosely, of course... you shouldn't just eat whatever all the time, and obviously don't eat until you're sick, or order the triple size portion... but don't hold yourself back from something you're craving, either. It's OK to enjoy the occasional less healthy food choice, and it's good to allow yourself to live once in awhile.
And if that food you chose to splurge on is tasty to you, you should enjoy it. Don't ruin the enjoyment by calling it naughty or worrying about the caloric or fat content. Don't create guilt. As long as you work hard at having times where you eat healthy, and if you keep active, that occasional treat isn't going to do any particular damage. In fact, it may just keep you even healthier, since you're not feeling deprived and then just totally lose it with a massive binge due to days/weeks/months of withdrawal.
The key in all of this is moderation. If you choose to enjoy the cheese fries, offset it with a good choice too - maybe you ran a half marathon yesterday, or you ate a healthy salad for lunch and can take a little splurge with dinner.
So, now that my rant's over... I'm curious... what's your favorite item to enjoy?
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